Kyle Zimmer

The Royals drafted Bubba Starling fifth overall in the 2011 draft and have gotten little from him. They took Zimmer fifth overall in the subsequent draft and have a similar return on that investment. Zimmer has a big fastball and a slider, but has zero command of his stuff and has struggled with walk rates throughout his career in the organization. It is hard to believe Zimmer is already out of minor-league options, but that is the truth as he heads to spring training this year. He debuted with 18.1 innings last season, and even with a 96.5-mph average on his fastball, his K-BB% was in the red. Zimmer has some serious work to put in to get his command in usable shape so he can stick on a major-league roster, because the current version of him simply isn't playable in the big leagues.

After a pair of seasons wrecked by injuries, including thoracic-outlet surgery in mid-2016, Zimmer didn't throw a single pitch last season, instead working out at Driveline Baseball to build his arm strength back up. The 2012 fifth overall pick got his velocity up to 93-94 mph and was throwing without pain for the first time in years, both certainly positive signs. There are reasons to believe that Zimmer could still make an impact in some capacity, given the prospect shine he once held. Of course, he's now a 27-year-old with a significant injury history who's thrown a grand total of 42.1 innings combined over the last three seasons. Chances are, Zimmer will be a full-time reliever moving forward for health reasons.

Injuries once again limited Zimmer in 2017, as his season was cut short in August by an ailment the Royals described as a fatigued arm after he tossed 36.2 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. Most of his time was spent in Omaha, where he missed bats frequently, but struggled with walks and carried a bloated 5.79 ERA. Now 26 years old, Zimmer's lengthy injury history all but assures that he'll try to make it to Kansas City as a reliever. As a professional, he's had just one season where he's been able to log 100 innings (2013). Further removed from 2016 surgery to treat Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, Zimmer may be ready for the start of spring training in February. Keep in mind, he was touching 97 mph out of the bullpen in the minors last season, and the 2012 first-round pick has always been an intriguing talent with few questions about the quality of his arsenal. If he finds a way to put together a full season with health, Zimmer could factor into the Royals' late-inning plans.

Zimmer did not make a start before May because of a shoulder problem that surfaced in spring training and he did not make a start after May because of shoulder fatigue. He underwent Thoracic Outlet Syndrome surgery in July -- a procedure that essentially ended Chris Carpenter's career and was one of the final straws before Josh Beckett was forced into early retirement. Perhaps no pitching injury has been as consistently limiting in recent years as Zimmer's ailing right shoulder. He has only logged 74.1 innings since the start of 2014. There is no denying that he still has frontline stuff, as he logged a 2.30 ERA and 88:30 K:BB over that stretch. However, his inability to overcome the shoulder issue and this subsequent surgery overshadow all of the potential he demonstrates when he toes the rubber. He is expected to be ready for spring training, but at age 25 and with just 67.2 innings logged above High-A, Zimmer amounts to no more than a lottery ticket in dynasty leagues.

The oft-injured righty was able to log 64 innings across Low-A and Double-A in 2015, which should actually be viewed as a success, given his history of shoulder injuries. When he is healthy, Zimmer has frontline stuff, so it is no surprise that he stymied minor league hitters to the tune of a 2.39 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 72 strikeouts across two levels. The dream of Zimmer maximizing his superb arsenal as a starting pitcher remains alive for dynasty league owners, but he still carries as much risk as any hurler to reach the upper levels of the minors. He has averaged less than 55 innings per season in four years as a pro, so 2016 will be all about building up the 24-year-old’s workload. While the risk associated with Zimmer remains obvious, he should be viewed as a top-200 prospect after making positive strides in 2015.

Shoulder issues plagued Zimmer's 2014 campaign, as the former fifth-overall pick was slow in his recovery during the early months of the season, and was eventually shut down for nearly two months in May. He was able to work back to rookie ball in August, and appeared to be back on track to get in some extra work during the Arizona Fall League, but that came to a grinding halt when he experienced renewed shoulder tightness and was shut down again for the remainder of the fall/winter season. Finally, some good news arrived in October when his MRIs came back free of structural damage, but he still needed to undergo a debridement of his rotator cuff and labrum. The current expectation is that Zimmer will use extended spring training to build up strength in anticipation of a late-April return. When healthy, the right-hander brings a mid-90s fastball with an above-average slider and curveball to the table, and is widely regarded as the top pitching prospect in the Kansas City farm system. If he can exceed expectations and put together a full season, Zimmer could see MLB time towards the end of 2015, but the Royals will surely take a cautious approach to his development.

Zimmer was the Royals' first-round draft choice (fifth overall) back in 2012 and he seemed to breeze through both rookie ball and the Low-A level. Even more impressive was that he did that with bone chips in his elbow which were eventually cleaned out through surgery after the season ended. A four-pitch arsenal at his age also makes for a big impression. Zimmer’s fastball lives in the low-to-mid 90s, with good movement, and can touch the upper 90s. He also has a curveball, slider and changeup, all of which could still use a bit of improvement, but in reality, not by much. Last season he spent most of the year at High-A Wilmington where he posted an 11.3 K/9 and while his ERA hung up at 4.82, his FIP of 3.12 indicated that the culprit was the defense. The club promoted him to Double-A for the tail end of the season and with the move came an even more impressive display. His strikeout rate increased, his walk rate decreased and over 18.2 innings he posted a 1.93 ERA. He'll likely start out the season at Double-A, but it wouldn't be a shock to see him quickly promoted to Triple-A with a strong showing. He's the top pitching prospect in the organization and the speed at which he will arrive in the majors will only enhance that belief.

As one of the top three pitching prospects available in the 2012 draft, Zimmer was snatched up by the Royals with the fifth overall pick and immediately went to the head of the team's pitching prospect class. He dominated the competition in rookie ball and was quickly moved up to Low-A after just three starts and finished his first professional season with a combined 2.04 ERA and 9.5 K/9 over 39.2 innings. He also managed to finish with a 1.8 BB/9 which shed some light on his command potential. Zimmer has a solid four-pitch arsenal with a fastball that tops out in the mid to upper-90s and a curveball that some feel is actually his best pitch. He'll likely start the season in High-A, but could be quickly moved up to Double-A if he continues on his current path.